As we wind down our summer programming and gear up for the academic year ahead, please allow each of us in the Graduate Admissions Office to thank you for your interest in our School. We appreciate all those who regularly read this blog, and the many who apply to our three graduate degree programs. Your commitment to public service, and to improving your respective communities is admirable and inspiring.

In reading the History of Labor Day section of the U.S. Department of Labor website, a U.S. Government agency where many alumni have or currently work, it brought about a brief pause to reflect on the School's community – our current students, on campus now, and those who have passed through Robertson Hall in prior years and who are now making a difference in their respective careers.

“Labor Day: What it Means - the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” See here for more information.

New Jersey, home to Princeton University’s School of Public and International Policy, was one of the first U.S. states to create a Labor Day holiday, in 1887.

What strikes us about what this holiday represents and celebrates, is that it is so emblematic of the students (and applicants) who are attracted by all the School stands for and works to achieve.

Whether working to raise the standard of living or working toward the ideals of economic and political democracy, as one might advance with respect of the Labor Day holiday, to activism and demonstration, public health and education, international relations and development, and policy topic areas in nearly every other major dimension...

... our students and alumni are on the frontlines. They are working to create change in their communities and around the world.

So on this Labor Day, let us celebrate the contributions of our community to public and international affairs, to public policy and to movements large and small - including the labor movement in the United States.

Photo from one of our Graduate Policy Workshops